Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup is chock-full of seasonal vegetables like leeks, carrots, celery, and onions. Slowly cooking a whole chicken, fragrant herbs, and fresh vegetables in chicken broth rather than water imparts a rich flavor to this soup.

Ingredients:

1(3 1/2-pound) whole chicken 

3quart(s) low-sodium chicken broth 

6carrots, peeled 

4stalk(s) celery, ends trimmed 

3medium onions, peeled 

5black peppercorns 

1clove(s) garlic, crushed 

10sprig(s) parsley 

2sprig(s) thyme 

1bay leaf 

2tablespoon(s) unsalted butter 

4leeks, tops and root ends removed 

1teaspoon(s) salt 

1teaspoon(s) fresh-ground pepper 

3cup(s) (5 ounces) medium egg noodles

Directions:

Make the stock:

Place the chicken and chicken broth in a large stockpot and set it over medium heat. Roughly chop 2 carrots, 2 celery ribs, and 1 onion and add to the broth. Add the peppercorns, garlic, 2 sprigs of parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and enough water to just cover the chicken. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the chicken is very tender -- about 1 1/4 hours -- skimming the surface periodically. Remove the chicken and place in a large bowl. Strain the broth through a very fine sieve into a large, clean bowl or stockpot. Discard the vegetables.

Make the soup:

Skim any fat off the top of the strained broth and discard. Slice the remaining carrots, celery, onions, and leeks into 1/4-inch-thick pieces and set aside. Remove and discard the skin and bones from the chicken, cut meat into 1/2-inch pieces, and set aside. Chop the remaining parsley leaves and set aside. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook until the onions are translucent -- about 7 minutes. Add the chicken, the reserved broth, salt, and pepper. Simmer the soup until the vegetables are tender  about 1 hour. Stir in the egg noodles and parsley and cook until the noodles are tender  

about 10 more minutes.

 Serve hot.